Consequences
by Driftingthought
Summary: Snape has fought back one too many times against the Marauders, and after pushing James too far, James swears he'll take the git down the only way he knows how. A wizard's duel. Set during the beginning of the Marauders' 5th year. Rated K for British swearing and minor injuries.
1. Too Far

Forgot an A/N, so here it is. Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its franchises. Rated K+ for British swearing and minor injuries.

* * *

**Consequences**

"What'd you get for question three?" Peter asked. "I wasn't sure whether it was avoid the sun or avoid the shade."  
"The right one," James snorted. "What do you think?"  
"Honestly, the questions were so boring I think I fell asleep halfway through," Sirius said.  
Students thronged around the four, scurrying to and from classes as the Marauders themselves eased their way through the crowd with the arrogance of experience. They seemed to create a path as they continued forward through the corridor; no one dared get in their way for even a second. Students knew them. So did teachers. Probably even the Headmaster himself knew them by name. Though the four had only been at Hogwarts a few years, they were famous throughout the entire school. Imagine that: practically famous. And only fifteen!  
The reason for that was obvious. They were the best. There was nothing the Marauders couldn't do. They'd invented their own map of Hogwarts; they knew more secret passages than Filch; they'd gotten straight Os in practically every subject; they'd become Animagus at fourteen. . .the list of their accomplishments never ended.  
But James knew they weren't proud. Far from it. No, they were quite humble. Hogwarts almost didn't deserve them. They were just too good in every respect.  
"I still can't believe Flitwick's class, though," Sirius said, casting a casual spell which caused a nearby Slytherin to trip. "He only let us try out that new spell once before dismissing the class."  
"You're right there, Padfoot. They don't even let us practice spells anymore," James said, disgusted as he muttered a spell to move a third-year Hufflepuff out of their way. "Thank goodness we can use our wands outside the classroom, else we wouldn't learn anything."  
"That's what magic is for," Remus said.  
"And slime balls," Sirius said. He let out a short laugh as a first-year Ravenclaw tripped on his too-long robes.  
"Where is he, anyway?" James asked, searching the students for one they all knew quite well. "I feel a hex coming on."  
"Maybe he quit," Sirius shrugged. "Was too stupid. Flunked out."  
"Maybe he's trying to brew a potion that'll make him less of a git!" Peter said.  
"He does seem to be fairly good at potions," Remus said. "Maybe he'd have some luck."  
"We're better," James said, rolling his eyes. "Who brewed the potion to turn us into Animagus last year? That's right, the four of us."  
"It only took you three times to get it right," Sirius said, punching him in the shoulder.  
"Hey, holding a Mandrake leaf in your mouth while you're drinking pumpkin juice isn't the easiest thing in the world," James said. "And weren't you the one who ran outside during that lightning storm, slipped, and dropped your entire potion on the ground?"  
"Says the one who almost choked to death in the middle of the night on his second Mandrake leaf," Sirius said.  
"You probably would've ended up in the hospital wing if I hadn't used that summoning charm," Remus said.  
"Yeah, thanks for that, Moony," James said, stroking his windpipe. "Though I think you almost ripped apart my throat. I'm still recovering."  
"That's just puberty," Sirius said. "When boys become men and girls become. . ." His eyes followed a group of quite attractive Hufflepuffs, winking at them and causing them to all giggle. Then Sirius casually tossed his hair, seeming to walk taller after that short interaction.  
"I wonder how Lily looks," James said, unable to keep the grin off his face.  
"You're about to find out," Sirius muttered.  
James brought his eyes forward, immediately finding Lily Evans. She was walking away from him, hair swaying gently as she walked and figure visible even through such thick robes. She seemed to be talking to someone. . .  
_Someone_!  
James only had to look at that someone for a second before knowing who it was. How dare he! How dare that slime ball talk to her and—she was laughing now! She was laughing at something he'd said! James' body temperature rose by ten degrees. He felt the wand in his hand begin to shake with rage.  
Upon seeing their target, Sirius' eyes brightened like a hunting wolf's. "It's already a few hours into our fifth year and we haven't said hello to our favorite victim yet."  
James nodded, teeth bared. "Think we should give him a proper greeting? One worthy of a Slytherin?" He spat the word out with as much disdain as he could manage. He felt, rather than saw, Sirius nod. Like a pack about to pounce, the four altered their course to pursue their prey. Peter was practically jumping up and down in excitement.  
James silently went through all the jinxes and hexes he knew, carefully picking out one that would cause the most anguish. But he couldn't cast it now. Not in front of Lily. No, he'd have to wait. Hopefully soon, the two would separate.  
The pair, unaware that they were being followed, continued through the corridor, and James wondered if either could sense his fury. Was his magical wrath creeping up on them, informing them of his intentions or state? Would Snape turn and disarm him? Yeah, sure. Like he could. But if Lily got wind of what he was up to. . .well, then she might never date him.  
Then suddenly, a ray of hope. A Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw came up to Lily and talked to her, and, after a moment, Lily bade Snape farewell and the three girls departed in a different direction. Now Snape was alone. Yes. James waited a few more seconds before lifting his wand to his target. Maybe he could turn the git into a flobberworm and squish him underneath his shoe. Wouldn't that be satisfying.  
But he didn't know how to do that. Darn. Well, a good jinx would suffice. "Colloshoo!" In an instant, Snape's shoes stuck fast to the floor, and he fell to the ground, barely catching himself and taking out his wand as he did so. Snape twisted around, and James could already see his eyes burning with rage. James leveled his wand at his opponent, ready for anything that came his way. "Having fun talking to Lily, Snivellus?" James asked.  
"At least she talks to me," Snape countered.  
James' wand convulsed at this statement, and with another shout, he sent a second hex flying, though this time Snape countered it. Snape was fully facing James as well, which James thought odd as he hadn't heard Snape utter any counter curse to undo the first hex. Whatever. Git.  
Why did Lily have to associate with the likes of him? Why did she even give such a greasy slime ball the time of day? Why couldn't she hang out with other Gryffindors instead? Gryffindors like him? She was so beautiful; she deserved someone like him. Brave. Strong. Handsome—

"James!"  
But Sirius' shout came too late. James was still bringing his eyes forward when the spell hit him. James didn't know what the spell was, which was the unfortunate part, but it threw him backward with the force of the Hogwarts Express. Somehow his friends were quick enough to jump out of the way, then James crashed into a wall, sliding to the ground.  
Perhaps it was James' magical core that'd protected him from a more lethal injury. Maybe Sirius or Remus had cast a spell to cushion the impact of the wall. Whatever it was hadn't been enough, though, for as James exhaled and got up, he felt a sharp pain in his side. He'd probably broken a rib. Oh, well. "Is that all you got?" James laughed as he pushed himself up, wincing once. James spat out then, convincing himself that it wasn't blood. And no, he hadn't lost a tooth. Or a lung.  
Seeing a duel in progress, a crowd of students surrounded them, watching either out of boredom or excitement. Some were cheering for James. Others, not so much. James wished he could hex the ones who would dare root against him.  
"Don't worry," Snape growled. "I've got a lot more than that."  
Well, now. James might actually break a sweat. Ignoring the worsening pain in his side, James casually walked back to the center of the corridor, his friends behind him. He opened his mouth to cast another spell, but somehow Snape was already casting his own, and James couldn't, for the life of him, hear what spell he'd shouted. Had the git even opened his mouth? Of course he had; he was probably just whispering and James couldn't see it underneath his long nose.  
Snape was obviously becoming agitated, and James threw up a shield charm to counter what the slime ball had thrown at him. It was a successful block, but the second spell came at him so fast that he barely dodged in time. "Flippendo!" James shouted, recovering fast enough to see a brief break in Snape's defenses. The spell struck true, and James laughed loudly as Snape was knocked backward, falling to the ground a second time. "Doing okay, Snivellus?"  
But Snape was already lifting his wand, and in an instant, the spell had struck James in the face. Pus-filled boils erupted all over his skin, and James swore as both the pain and swelling obscured his vision and prevented him from seeing his opponent. He was aware that Snape was getting up, but James also felt magic coming from behind him. His boils were rapidly disappearing, healing, and James somehow knew, without looking back, that Remus was helping him out. "Thanks, mate," James said, risking a glance behind him at his friends. He nodded at Remus, then Sirius, but as he was looking at Sirius, he saw his friend's eyes widen. Just in time did Sirius step in front of him to block the curse that Snape had thrown.  
"Trying to attack while his back is turned?" Sirius asked loudly. "That's low. Just like a Slytherin."  
James turned back to Snape to see that his opponent had lowered his wand.  
"At least I have the bravery to take all of you on by myself," Snape said coolly. "And you call yourselves Gryffindors."  
James grit his teeth at the call, and he sent another hex at Snape that he blocked. "Take that back, git."  
"I wonder what your schoolmates think of Gryffindor. When you fight me, he blocks my spells, and he heals you," Snape countered, pointing out each Marauder in turn. "Pathetic!"  
The griffin inside James screeched in protest. James sent another spell at Snape; he was able to block it. But Sirius stepped forward beside James, not allowing House slander to go unpunished. Sirius' spell hit Snape in the chest, bringing him to his knees.  
"Don't you know that griffins go after snakes?" Sirius asked coldly, wand ready to strike again.  
Snape looked up, and James was infuriated to see that he was smirking. "Fight me yourself, then."  
"I am," James said, though all five of them knew this wasn't true. But, if James thought about it, the four of them going against Snape wasn't a bad thing. It wasn't as if he actually needed their help. Far from it; he could disable Snape blindfolded.  
Snape let out a bark of laughter that almost reminded James of Sirius. "You're cowards!"  
It was those two words that sent James over the edge. He didn't even remember shouting the hex at Snape that brought him down to his face in front of his superiors. "Duel!" he screamed. "One hour!"  
After many seconds, the lump that was Snape regained mobility. He looked up at James, and his eyes were burning with both hatred and excitement. "All right. The courtyard."


	2. The Duel Begins

With a wordless snarl, James turned heel and walked away, his friends flanking him and creating an easy path through the students that were dispersing for class now that the duel was over.  
"Good going, mate," Sirius said as they walked away. "Now you can show him what being a Gryffindor really means. Put all Slytherins in their place."  
"Put them all to shame!" Peter added.  
James opened his mouth to give himself a compliment, but Remus spoke first.  
"Prongs, are you crazy?" Remus asked, keeping his voice low as a teacher walked by. "Dueling him? He knows, what, two hundred curses and hexes? How many do you know? Twenty?"  
Well, he actually knew twenty-two. Was in the process of learning another. "I'll be fine," James said, shrugging his friend off. "He's a Slytherin."  
"A slime ball," Peter added.  
"He hangs around Deatheaters and probably learned all three Unforgivable Curses last year," Remus muttered. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"  
James waved Remus off with a casual hand. "Come on, Moony, how strong can he really be? I'll use a few charms on him like always and take him down, no problem. And if worst comes to worst, I can just summon my broom and smash his head in with it."  
Sirius and Peter laughed at this comment, but Remus frowned a bit.  
"It still doesn't seem like a good idea," Remus said. Sirius rolled his eyes.  
"Come on, Moony," James said, elbowing him. "Don't you have faith in your best mate?"  
"Yeah, in Quidditch," Remus said.  
"Who's the strongest out of all of us?" James asked.  
"Sirius," Remus said instantly.  
Sirius smirked at this but said nothing.  
"Well, who's the second strongest?" James asked, a bit exasperated now.  
Remus slowly pointed to himself, and James glared at him. Then James turned to Sirius.  
"Padfoot, who's stronger?" James asked. "Me or Remus?"  
Sirius put his hands up. "I don't want to fight a stag and a werewolf. I'm staying out of this one."  
James turned to Peter. "Wormtail?"  
Peter blinked several times. "You're both very, very strong. I mean, you both have amazing talents and spell-casting abilities that I could only dream of. . ."  
Of course he'd never get an answer out of Peter. James sighed, then took out his wand and practiced several spells with it, drawing each incantation on the air in front of him. "Really, Marauders. You know I'll be fine. I won't even break a sweat. Heck, I could take that slime ball down with both arms broken."  
"His or yours?" Remus asked.  
"Shut up, Moony!" James said.  
Sirius punched James hard in the shoulder. "We know you've got it, Prongs. Remus is just kidding."  
Remus sighed ever so slightly. "We'll back you up if you happen to need it."  
"I won't need it," James said, a small growl leaking through his words.  
"Or you could always use your broom and fly away," Peter suggested.  
"And take the coward's way out?" James asked. "No, thanks!"  
The four went to their next class, but James found that the next hour couldn't be up fast enough. It was time for Slytherin to know that Gryffindor wouldn't accept such condescension. Gryffindor would not be humiliated; Snape wouldn't get away with calling their House cowards. Not them, and certainly not from him.  
Finally, after sixty long minutes, the time had arrived, and James stood in the courtyard with his friends, a throng of students surrounding him as he waited for his opponent to show. "You don't think he's turned tail, has he?" Peter asked.  
"Doubt it," Remus said.  
"But if he has, we can just go find him," Sirius said, grinning wolfishly.  
"It'll be victory by default, then," James said, twirling his wand around his fingers. "But, I mean, if he doesn't show, it's not like it's surprising. He's facing James Potter. I'd run away from an opponent like me, too."  
Sirius, his dog senses alert even while in human form, perked up suddenly. His eyes glowed. "Snivellus," he growled.  
James turned and saw Snape walking out of the crowd, wand already in hand. So, he actually did have the guts to show up. Their duel could begin.  
Going by the technical dueling handbook, both wizards were supposed to face each other and bow before walking away and taking their dueling stances. But James neither had the time or the will to carry out such a task. He didn't want to see how greasy the git's skin was. The instant Snape was within ten feet of him, James sent out his first hex. "Locomotor Moris!"  
Snape, unfortunately foreseeing James' move, blocked the hex and sent out one of his own. James parried it with only slight difficulty, calling out his incantation. One that, if hit, would give the opponent antlers. Quite painful. Very humorous. He'd love to see it on Snape. "Anteoculatia!"  
Again, Snape deflected the hex. James, seeing little progress in the duel, decided to switch tactics. Uttering a slippery jinx, the ground underneath Snape became slick as ice, and as Snape attempted to regain his footing, James sent a second spell at him. "Flippendo!" It knocked Snape backward, but too late did James see that Snape had also fired off a spell of his own, hitting James and causing his entire arm to go limp and drop his wand. Upon trying to pick his wand up, James found that his arm was useless and unable to grasp anything. Using his other arm had the same consequences.  
Now wandless, James mind raced as he thought what to do next, for Snape was getting back to his feet. Diving at the ground, James picked up his wand in his teeth, yelling out a shield charm as he saw Snape's next spell coming at him. Somehow, miraculously, the charm worked and deflected the spell, though James knew he might not have such luck with spells that weren't his signature ones. Thinking again, he muttered a quick counter jinx. "Reresho!" Despite mispronunciation, the counter spell worked, and he made a quick grab for his wand, glad to have it in his hand once again. James used a shield charm on several of Snape's spells, then threw some of his own with loud incantations, all of which were deflected. How was he going to hex the git if he kept blocking?  
And why was it so difficult to take him down, anyway? He was a greasy Slitherin! James had expected the duel to last one, maybe two spells before taking him down. Then he could loudly proclaim his victory, Lily would fawn over and fall in love with him, and

"Waddiwasi!"  
James, distracted, never saw the spell coming, and the rock that Snape had enchanted collided painfully with James' face, breaking his nose on impact. He fell to the ground, aware that Snape was shouting another spell and realizing that he'd never be able to block in time.  
"Petrificus T "  
"Oy! Snivellus!"  
Sirius' shout, followed by a spell that Snape blocked, distracted him just long enough for James to recover and cast a spell of his own. It hit Snape in the chest, and he fell to the ground in pain instantly, invisible restraints coiling around his body. James stood and walked over to Snape, quite satisfied with himself. "At least now you're where you belong," James gloated, leveling his wand at Snape's long nose. "Snakes slither on the ground, right? Apparently so do Slytherin scum."  
Snape was already fighting the hex, and his mouth, though twisted in pain, was unfortunately unharmed by the spell. "At least we don't have trouble befriending members of our own House. There's more than one thing that Slytherin's better at than Gryffindor."  
James inhaled sharply as he understood the slime ball's words. How dare he say that. How dare he talk about her. . . "She's only your friend because she thinks you're pathetic!" James snarled, feeling his wand shoot out sparks in his hand. "You don't deserve her; you don't deserve the ground she walks on! You think she'd actually want to befriend someone like you: a git who's in love with the Dark Arts?!"  
"_Shut up_!" Snape's eyes flashed with something James had never seen, and suddenly, magically, his restraints were gone. In an instant, Snape was on his feet, making slashing motions with his wand as if trying to cut James in half. Not knowing the spell but knowing the intent, James conjured his most powerful shield, but Snape seemed to be throwing all the magic he had at James. This was apparent the instant James felt the spell against his shield, for it held only a moment before first cracking, then shattering completely. Shoot. James threw up two more shields to defend himself, but James knew he was losing. The spells were driving him back. Then, with a final downward motion, Snape's spell rebounded with such force against James' shield that it knocked him backwards.  
Snape's entire body was shaking as he faced down James, and James tried not to look too nervous with Snape's wand pointed directly at him and its tip glowing like fire.  
"Give!" Snape said.  
James struggled to his feet, bearing his teeth in a snarl. He was three seconds away from regaining the upper hand and the git had the gall to command him to give up? Ha! "Never!" he shouted.  
The glow on the edge of Snape's wand was increasing, now almost as bright as a Lumos. James faced Snape, finding it a bit odd that Snape wasn't attacking him. In fact, it was almost as if he were hesitating or trying to think something over. Well, that would help him loads in a duel. "Petrificus Totalus!" James yelled, but Snape blocked the spell. Then, finally, Snape waved an intricate pattern with his wand, speaking an incantation that James realized instantly.  
"Fiendfyre."  
Uh-oh. Well, that made it obvious as to why Snape had hesitated. But Fiendfyre? James had heard tales of the spell countless times from his parents, and James wasn't sure that even Bellatrix, in all her Dark Arts glory, had ever cast it herself. It was hard to control, first off. Second, it was huge. Like a forest fire gone wrong. . .  
Wait, was that it?  
The fire coming out of Snape's wand stalled after a short moment, and James almost laughed to see that the fire, a combination of snakes, bats, and spiders, was no larger than a dog. Wow, some spell. James had expected a wall of flames. Maybe an ocean. Not something so pathetic.  
Well, he was Slytherin after all. James should've have expected much.  
Snape, two hands on his wand now and a concentrative expression on his face, looked away from his spell at James, and James was enraged to see that the git seemed to be smiling. What did he have to smile about? Didn't Snape realize how vulnerable he was in this position? Or was he just an idiot?  
"Give," Snape said again.  
James' eyes narrowed. On the wands of all the wizards that existed, James knew his answer better than his own name. "No."  
Snape pointed his wand at James, and the fire began to walk toward him. James almost laughed again; he'd seen slugs with greater speed. Taking the time to yawn and stretch, James waited until the fire was a few feet from him before he lazily cast a shield charm. Nothing happened. Though James could feel his magical protection around him, the fire seemed to walk through his charm as though it were nothing more than air. Pausing, James cast another shield charm, stronger this time, but the fire pushed through it in an almost bored fashion, and James thought he saw one of the bats within the fire snapping at his magic as though consuming it. Or maybe it was laughing at him.  
"Give."  
The statement seared James far worse than any fire could've. He growled low, then shot a hex at the fire to see if he could dislodge it. It still pursued him. A wind charm didn't even phase it, though James was hoping that a strong gust would've blown it out. What could help against fire, though?  
Of course, water! "Aguamenti," James said, shooting a steady stream of water at the fire and already considering what his next jinx on Snape would be. He faltered, now concerned, as he saw that his water charm had no effect on the fire. Barely had the water touched the fire before it turned to steam, rendering its effects useless. The fire leaped forward after getting shot with water, apparently angry at James. He dodged out of the way, frowning and trying to decide what his next plan of action would be.  
"Give."  
Wasn't Snape a git, though? How dare he order him, command him to give up! James hadn't even started the duel! Seeing the fire pick up speed, James took off at a steady pace, throwing every charm and hex he knew at the fire, convinced that one of them would stall or stop the fire completely.  
"Give!"  
"Shut up," James growled, casting another shield charm that the fire again pushed through, seemingly easier than before. Raising his wand, James shot several more charms at it, but the flames continued toward him, and James thought he saw hunger in one of the bat's eyes. He leaped out of the way as one of the snakes tried to strike him with a tongue of fire, then James was on his feet now, forced to run as the fire picked up speed yet again.


	3. In His Place

"_Give_!"  
James thought he heard a twinge of desperation in Snape's voice, and James couldn't help grinning despite his state. If things were going badly for his opponent, that meant the tide was about to turn in James' favor. He turned toward Snape, noting that he seemed to be almost straining with his spell. Not to mention the git was wide open to attack.  
The thought came to James in a flash. Of course! If he disabled Snape, the curse would disappear! It was too easy. James lifted his wand at Snape, a motion he did in full view of his opponent despite the fact that Snape wasn't even looking at him. James rolled his eyes; some duel this was turning out to be. Tired of waiting for Snape to attempt to counter or at least look and see his own defeat, James opened his mouth, quick to speak the incantation that would disable his opponent and win the duel. "Petrificus Totalus!" It was a very smart move, though a bit predictable, and James pocketed his wand satisfactorily as he watched Snape fall to the ground, knowing he would be there awhile. Probably ten minutes or so if the spell held. James sighed in satisfaction. Maybe he should've been in Ravenclaw. Ha. Birds instead of griffins. Not likely.  
But as James turned away from the disabled Snivellus, he found himself faced with a problem. It seemed as though the very instant Snape was immobilized, the flames before him became sentient and gained consciousness. James thought he saw all the animals within the flames blinking, coming awake, then the low hissing began to grow.  
No, way. Shouldn't the spell have been cancelled the instant he'd knocked Snape down? The hissing grew to a roar, and James, becoming concerned, pulled out his wand again and spoke the incantation to negate all nearby spells. "Finite Incantatem!" It did nothing for the fire before him, however, and now the fire's size had doubled. Moving differently, predatorily, the fire inched closer, then jumped forward like it was pouncing, abruptly increasing its speed. James backed up, then dodged out of the way as one of the fire snakes hissed violently at him and lunged again. Though he turned and began to run, the fire was still hot on his heels, its heat searing into his back even through such thick robes.  
Was this a special spell, one that wasn't able to be countered by usual means? A water charm had done nothing. Neither had the general counter spell James used for everything else. What then was the proper incantation to end the spell? James, now panicking, turned to Sirius, even as he kept running. This was a curse after all, and Sirius' sister was Bellatrix. Sirius had to know something. "What's the counter curse?" he yelled, this time leaping desperately out of the way as the fire grew and lunged yet again, dissolving the grass underneath it and not even leaving any soot in its wake.  
Sirius paused, and James hoped that panic wouldn't overcome thought for his friend. "I don't. . .I it's. . .Expugno. . .er. . .Diablo!"  
James whirled to face the growing flames, swallowing his likewise growing fear. "_Expugno Diablo_!" Nothing happened, and James wondered if he'd said the incantation wrong. Was it just because he didn't know the spell? Did he need to go back to the boys' dormitory and practice? That'd be nice.  
The fire grew again, and James tripped over his feet as he backed up, shouting the spell even louder and hoping this would get his wand and the magic inside him to respond accordingly. Again, nothing happened. James looked over at his friends, who had likewise drawn their wands and were shouting Sirius' incantation at the flames, getting the same response that James had. "It's not working!" James yelled, though it was quite obvious that their spells, even in combination, had done nothing to the flames. "What now?"  
The fire was becoming more aggressive by the second. It began to sense life other than James nearby and drove back the students who had come to watch the duel, lashing out at them as well. This was the Fiendfyre James knew. This was the danger he'd expected. What if it consumed them all alive, then went on to destroy Hogwarts? He'd be posthumously expelled!  
"Snape!" Remus yelled, throwing another useless spell at the fire. "He's the one who used the curse! He must be able to stop it! Undo the spell, James!"  
James barked out a laugh at this. "Undo the jinx?" he yelled. "And concede defeat?"  
"James!"  
Remus' shout, though disparaging, was so alarmed that James swung around, mouth gaping as the fire grew again, becoming a roaring wall of flame. It was descending on him like a wave, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. James didn't even have time to wonder what death would be like.  
"_Expugno Maleficum_!"  
Right before impact, both fire and heat swung away from James, and he watched, mouth open, as Snape's incantation worked and he sucked the flames into his wand. Realizing he wasn't about to be burned alive, James looked away from Snape toward his friends, wondering who had performed the counter curse on Snape to allow him to undo his spell. Though he'd expected to see Remus pocketing his wand, James was surprised, shocked even, to find that it was Sirius who lowered his wand.  
Not even the thought of his best mate undoing a hex on such a slime ball could force James' blank mind to work. He stood still, shaking slightly and not even considering to hex Snape until long after all the flames vanished. Once the fire's roar was gone, James found their duel circle very quiet. The only sound was James' own panting, and he wondered if there was a spell to stop the blood from pounding in his head. The dueling ground that they stood on was now black, and James vaguely wondered if grass would ever grow there again. He looked at Snape, who was also catching his breath, then to his friends, seeing that Sirius was burning with rage.  
"Prick!" Sirius snarled. "You tried to kill him!"  
Snape threw Sirius a dark look, but, now that the threat was gone and he'd recovered somewhat, his friend's words lit a fire inside him. Wait. . .a moment. Wait a moment! Yeah! Sirius was right! The slime ball had tried to kill him! Kill him! How dare he!  
Snape still looked a bit drained from his previous spell, which was all right by James. It was time for the git to learn his place. To learn what happened to Slitherins who stood against Gryffindor. To learn what happened to a slime ball who would dare stand against James Potter.  
At the moment, all James had energy for was a single spell. But, after a moment's consideration, James smiled. He knew exactly what spell to use against his opponent. "Mimblewimble." He said the spell quietly, not wanting Snape to hear it coming and deflect it. The spell struck true, and James' smile widened. Now who had the upper hand? A wizard couldn't do anything without an incantation, and James knew that he'd just turned Snape into a defenseless mute.  
He'd win with both hands tied behind his back. Snape was glaring at him, and James had to fight not to laugh. He wouldn't mind gloating, though. "I think we both knew who was going to win this duel, Snivellus. And it wasn't you."  
Someone in the audience had the nerve to boo him, but James shook it off. He would revel in the thought of beating Snape for quite some time. Obviously, this was the only outcome of their duel. James raised his wand, lazily waving it at Snape as he considered his incantation. First he could toy with the git, then he could end the duel. After an hour, maybe. He didn't have to end the fight right away. Besides, this would make him feel good. Very good. "Flippen "  
The spell came out of nowhere, and James almost didn't believe it, even after the spell struck him and caused his legs to give way. Had Snape actually hit him with a spell? No, there was no way that

Another spell came at him, and James deflected it, nearly dumbfounded. What in the world?! They weren't supposed to start learning nonverbal spells until next year! Besides that, most students didn't even start to understand the concept until long after they'd graduated! James risked a glance back at the other three Marauders, seeing that they all looked as shocked as he did. Sirius caught James' eye and shrugged, while Remus gave James a rather hard stare, as if to say that James should've expected this. But nonverbal spells. . .  
"James!"  
Peter's shout caused James to focus again on his opponent, but he didn't have enough time to voice his spell or deflect what was coming at him. The spell hit; it took only a moment for James to realize what Snape had done. His precious tongue, the source of all his magic, instantly stuck to the roof of his mouth, effectively rendering all his spells useless. It probably would've been better to have his wand snapped.  
Now Snape's eyes were glowing, and as he shot a curse at James, James inwardly screamed his strongest shield charm. It flickered like a faulty Muggle light bulb before breaking from the spell, tossing James backward.  
But more spells were already coming, and James dodged out of the way as best he could, getting hit by at least half of them despite his efforts. He was aware that he was weakening, and he was also feeling strange things growing in strange places. He couldn't fight like this. He'd get massacred.  
Then, a wave of magic from behind him. James recognized Sirius immediately, and could also decipher Peter as well. In a moment, his wounds healed. Better still, his tongue was free once again. Ah, yes. He wouldn't lose. Not when he had his friends with him. Not when he was such a good wizard. James straightened up, causing Snape to pause. "Must've been a bad spell, Snivellus," James said. "Didn't last long."  
Snape's eyes narrowed at this proclamation, and he shot a glare at Remus, Sirius, and Peter, as if knowing what they'd done.  
"I'm in a rather good mood today, so I think I'll help you out," James said, muttering the counter curse to allow the slime ball speech. He wanted to hear Snape's frustration when he won the duel. He would win easily now. Especially since he felt Remus' strengthening charm from behind him. Sirius as well, using the same charm. Even Peter was chipping in. Gryffindors united. "Flippendo!" James yelled.  
Snape put up a shield, but James' spell easily blasted through it, throwing Snape backward. The git looked surprised for an instant, but then he glared again at the Marauders; Remus, Sirius, and Peter quickly lowered their wands.  
"Looks like I've got the upper hand, Snivellus," James said, bearing his teeth in excitement as he pointed his wand at Snape.  
Snape gave a short, disdainful laugh at this, and James' anger rose at his defiance. The nerve! Why didn't he just surrender?! "Expulso!" The explosion threw Snape backward, and James stepped forward with intent, leveling his wand at the git and ready to declare victory. James knew there was no way, even if he somehow used the Cruciatus Curse, that Snape would ever admit defeat. All he had to use was one more paralyzing spell, and the victory would be his by default. "Petrif-"  
At that moment, something very strange happened. James was in the middle of his spell when Snape, on his hands and knees now, raised his wand and flicked it upward. The rest of James' incantation was never spoken, for James was now, unbelievably, hanging upside down in the air, as though someone had hoisted him up by a single foot.  
What kind of spell was this? Though he'd been at Hogwarts for quite some time, never, in all his years as a Marauder, had he come across a spell such as this one.  
But thank goodness he'd thought to wear jeans today.  
"Give."  
James looked down at Snape, bearing his teeth. He pointed his wand at Snape's ugly face, which looked even uglier upside down. "I can still hex you from this angle, you know," James growled.  
It looked as if Snape was daring him to try. Well, James wouldn't take such attitude upside down. Uh. . .  
"Expul-" James gave a very unmasculine scream as he was hoisted another five feet into the air. After he reorganized both his thoughts and the contents of his stomach, James opened his mouth to shout another hex. "Impe-" Again, he was hoisted higher, not even able to get out half his incantation this time. Blinking hard to focus, James thought of another spell. Yup. Time for his broomstick to smash in Snape's skull. "Acc-" James fell, and he was heading straight for the ground when, abruptly, his wand was wrenched out of his hand. Then, before he crashed to the ground, whatever spell Snape was using began again, and James was, for the second time, hanging upside down. Though now he was without a wand.  
Wandless and fuming, James glared daggers at Snape, wishing that his wand were back in his hand so he could wipe that smirk off the git's face. Maybe he could learn a curse to remove Snape's face altogether. That would be nice.  
"Give."  
James ground his teeth together. Never! He could still. . .well, he could still do something! And no, his face wasn't reddening from embarrassment! It was from being upside down! Snape continued to hold him there, seemingly content to keep James in his compromised position until he finally yielded.  
It was getting harder to think now. Being upside down was starting to give him a migraine. The pulsing blood didn't help much. There had to be something to do! Wandless magic? Few wizards were strong enough for that, and he wasn't one of them. Darn. Cursing at him wasn't nearly as fun as cursing him.  
Then, magically, a thought came to James. An idea. Yes, it would work. He didn't have magic, but others did. James struggled for a second, putting on a show so that Snape wouldn't suspect anything. Then he craned his neck and looked at his friends, who weren't too happy at James' state. Sirius seemed ready to attack, but seeing the look of intent on James' face made Sirius pause. Meeting his friends' eyes, James raised both eyebrows in a silent signal to Sirius and Peter, who both nodded at the same time and raised their wands.  
Good. Now all he had to do was give up. Then Snape would drop him, Sirius and Peter would attack, and Snape would have no time to dodge or block. It was perfect. "All right," James said, swinging his attention back to Snape and glaring hard at the git, trying not to smile. "All right, Sniv Severus."  
For a moment, Snape looked stunned. Then his wand faltered for a moment, and James knew he suspected nothing. He'd get even with the git. He'd show Slytherin who was boss.  
"I," James said, sighing and making a great show of his defeat and apparent failure. "Give!"  
Snape shrugged and flicked his wand again, releasing James from his spot in the air. James had barely hit the ground before he heard Sirius' and Peter's shouts behind him, and James could already imagine the git keeling over from their spell.  
Snape's eyes widened, and as James grinned over at him, Snape flicked his wand a second time. James was astonished to find himself yet again in the air upside down. He realized what was going to happen only a moment before it actually did.  
Oh, no.  
Both spells, aimed for Snape, collided with James' body instead, and he felt the combined power of the same spell stiffen not only his body, but his insides as well. He could hardly breathe against the Petrificus Totalus. Was his heart even beating?  
Though James' eyes were frozen in place, he'd fallen in just the right spot so that his vision was frozen on the git himself. He was forced to watch the slime ball smile at him before pocketing his wand. "Looks like I win. I guess snakes are more cunning than griffins." And Snape turned and walked away, swaggering just a tiny bit.  
Oh, the nerve! Oh, the disgrace! Oh, did his nose itch!  
Sirius, Remus, and Peter raced over to help him, nearly falling on top of him as they skidded to a halt and performed their counter jinxes. None of the usual spells worked, and it took them five minutes before Remus suggested that, due to the fact that it'd been a spell of double strength that put James in his current state, perhaps a counter spell of double strength would work as well. Sirius and Remus waved their wands, speaking their incantation in unison.  
James inhaled the instant he could move again, sitting up and taking the wand that Peter had retrieved for him.  
"Don't worry, mate," Sirius said, glaring at the spot Snape had been standing. "We'll get him. Teach him a right lesson."  
James exhaled and deflated a bit, still unable to believe that he'd lost a duel with a Slytherin. Not just any Slytherin, either. With Snivellus! What did that make Gryffindor? Him: James Potter? Weak? Useless? Never! He was proud; he was courageous; he was the best.  
Why then, had he lost?!  
Remus inhaled, as if to say something, but James got there first. "Don't you dare say I told you so," James growled.  
"Wasn't going to," Remus said. "Your arm got a bit burned from the Fiendfyre. I was going to tell you to go to the Hospital Wing."  
James glanced down, only now noticing that his left wrist was blistering a bit. He shrugged it off. "I'm fine, Moony. But we'll get him, all right." James breathed out a bit of steam as the anger coursed through his veins, and his wand again shot sparks from its tip. He would show that Slitherin git who was who! He'd get revenge, even if it took him until the day he graduated from Hogwarts. No one hung James Potter upside down and got away with it. "Do any of you know what that spell was?" James asked.  
"The hanging one?" Sirius asked. "No. But it was cool, though."  
"Probably something he got from other Slytherins," Remus said.  
"Deatheaters, no doubt," Sirius said blackly. "How else could he have learned it?"  
The four went quiet as they considered both the spell used on James and their recent defeat.  
"We have to find out what it is," James said abruptly.  
Sirius' face split into a hungry grin. "I like where this is going."  
James nodded. Remus said nothing, but he, too, looked interested.  
"It'd be good to use in a duel," Remus said.  
"A duel against that git," Sirius breathed.  
"We'll find out what that spell was," James said. "We'll all learn it."  
"And we'll take him down?" Peter asked.  
James shook his head. Snivellus didn't deserve just a sound defeat. The git had humiliated him in front of the entire school. James had lost in front of the entire school. Gryffindor's name had been slandered. The Marauders had been slandered. James Potter had been humiliated. This was so much more than payback. "No. We'll do a lot more to him than that."  
Sirius barked out laughter. "This is why I like you, Prongs."  
James pushed himself up, standing tall despite his defeat. Never again would such embarrassment happen to him. This was only the beginning. He would learn the spell that Snape had used. He would learn nonverbal techniques. And he would get his revenge. He would. He would!  
There was no other option. Snape would rue the day he came to Hogwarts.  
James would make sure of it.

**The End**


End file.
